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Americans don't realize that reward programs are a scam.

They tell you that you earn points for your purchase, and at some point you might "earn" a "free" product or a discount or something like that.

The truth is, they rise the prices for a specific margin to compensate for that. You are essentially paying for that "free" product or discount, you just don't know it.

That's also a part of why prices are so bloated nowadays, among many other things.

And if you are paying more for a product to allocate a margin for that free product, then you might as well buy more and get the free one to recover part of your investment, right?

That's what a "fidelity" program is. It's not a reward, it's a money cult. You either pay extra for nothing or buy a lot and get a little bit in return.